Home and Heart
by BlossomOfEdelweiss
Summary: A continuation of the story from where the series left off. Christy decides that she needs to make a visit home to Asheville to get away from the two men in her life that couldn't be more different from one another. She needs time to think about her future
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own the story of Christy. It belongs to the Marshall-LeSourd Family, L.L.C. I merely write for fun and not for profit.

**Home and Heart**

Christy stood there, frozen to the spot and starring at the ring in the small blue velvet box. Her mind was in a whirlwind after what she had just seen at Doctor MacNeil's. She had gone there after her conversation with Fairlight in hopes of being able to have a deeper more meaningful conversation with Neil about defining their relationship. She had so many questions that only he could answer. Fairlight had asked her and challenged her to think about David's marriage proposal. The last question was particularly hard and still rang in her head as she stood in front of the schoolhouse, who do you tell your deepest thoughts to. She knew what the answer to that was, but could not bring herself to audibly voice it out loud. It logically went against everything her brain had ever screamed at her and when she had arrived at Neil's and found Margaret there in Neil's arms by the river she could instantly feel the sting of hot tears fill her eyes along with an instant sinking feeling in her stomach that made it churn and feel sick. Not wanting to stay any longer she took off on Prince back through the woods towards the schoolhouse where David was teaching his Bible lessons.

When David had seen the pain and anguish on Christy's face he knew it had to have been caused by Doctor MacNeil. His hand ran over the soft material of the small box tucked deep into the recesses of his pocket. He had planned on asking her over dinner, but before he could even think he had pulled the box out and presented it to her. He was certain she would say yes now that she realized that Neil MacNeil was out of reach, but she just stood there and slowly took the ring box from his hands and walked away, examining the tiny shiny object gleaming in the afternoon sun. It was a gorgeous, delicate ring, but something about it just didn't feel right.

As she starred at the ring she looked up at the sound of horses hooves pounding at the ground in a rushed paced. It was Neil, his eyes caught Christy's and she inhaled sharply as his eyes shifted to the box and then back up again. She found herself barely able to breathe from the intesity of his gaze. His eyes were agonizingly pleading with her. She tore her gaze from him, unable to bear his pain filled eyes any longer and she starred at David who stood their nervously waiting for her reply. It was then that her eyes fell on the children standing in the schoolhouse door. They were intently watching the scene unfold before them between their teacher and the two men who had been fighting for her affections from the moment she stepped foot into Cutter Gap.

She couldn't do this here. It wasn't the right place, not in front of the children and she suddenly hated David for putting her in this situation. Giving one last glance to Neil, she took off running for the mission house with fresh hot tears filling her crystal blue eyes. She nearly knocked Alice over running through the front door of the house. Without stopping or uttering a word she bolted straight up the stairs and slammed the door to her room shut.

Miss Alice's eyes followed her up the staircase, concern and worry etched into her features. She then quickly turned and stepped onto the porch. Looking up towards the schoolhouse she quickly spotted the two figures who she believed were the source of Christy's tirade. She watched as Neil dismounted his horse and went straight towards David, jaw drawn tight with determination. They appeared to be in a heated debate, the subject of which Alice suspected was in the room above. She had watched in careful observation all summer as the two men had competed with one another for Christy's time and adoration. David had already proposed once before, but she knew what he felt for Christy was superficial at best. While she believed that he cared for her she had always had a feeling that his desires for her were more lustful in nature.

She and Neil, on the other hand, seemed to have developed a deeper friendship. They kept their feelings somewhat hidden from one another and had never openly admitted them, but they confided in each other which for for awhile had been a source of anguish for Alice because of her daughter. She had finally come to accept their growing relationship and deep friendship. She knew that these things confused Christy, and that along with Neil's marriage, had been a hindrance in her ability to make any sort of commitment to either man.

She sighed as she watched David take both of his hands and attempt to shove Neil backwards. Neil, though a bit shorter than David, was still 6 foot 1 and of a very solid stature and therefore proved to be an almost immovable force for David. Looking back up the stairs, Alice quickly decided that Christy could probably use a few minutes of time alone and that the scene unfolding before her between these two men was in need of immediate attention. She was going to need a shock factor if she was going to get their attention so she grabbed her rifle from inside and marched herself up the hill towards the two arguing men. Ruby Mae had already been running down towards her and she could hear them arguing loudly.

"You're a married man, Doctor. You're just confusing her. Let her go!"

"You can't control her, Grantland, she's not a possession."

"Miss Alice," called out Ruby Mae, "you've got to do somethin. The preacher and the doc have done plum lost their minds fighten' over teacher. They about to come to blows, Miss Alice." The fiery red head continued to ramble on as they climbed the hill, finally stopping within a few feet of David and Neil. She aimed her rifle into the air and then shot it off. Like clockwork the two men turned and starred at her, anger, frustration, and jealousy written across both of their faces.

"Now that I have your attention, you will stop this nonsense at once. Christy Huddleston is not an object that either of you can possess." They both glared at one another and then looked down at the ground. "Christy is very upset and I have a feeling it has something to do with the two of you and this feuding in front of the children must stop. Now I want to know what this is all about and I want honest, truthful answers."

They were both silent for what seemed like an eternity before David finally spoke. "I asked Christy to marry me," he turned his head toward Neil and added with an angry expression, "and she would have said yes already if he hadn't showed up and confused her.

"I will not stand by and watch her make the mistake of marrying the likes of you, Reverend," Neil spat back.

"Enough," yelled Alice. "You are acting more like children than the children themselves. David thee has a school full of children that thee should be attending to. I would like to talk to Neil privately."

"Fine, but this is far from being over," answered David through clenched teeth.

Neil took two steps toward David and was practically standing in his face. "Count on it Reverend." Alice breathed a sigh of relief when David finally backed away and headed towards the schoolhouse door and the children.

"Neil, thee is still a married man or has thou forgotten."

"I wish I could forget, Alice. I wish she had never come back here." He instantly regretted his harsh words when he saw a flash of pain cross over Alice's facial features. "Alice I'm..."

She waved him off, "Not need to apologize, I have had my own similar thoughts. Thee is just expressing thy honest true feelings"

"Just when I thought I had a life again she shows up at my cabin wanting me to take her back." He ran his hand through his hair in frustration.

Alice raised a questioning eyebrow, "She is at thy cabin?"

"Yes, and Christy saw us together." Alice could see the storm brewing in his eyes.

She looked down at the ground, "and that is when Christy ran to David." It was more of a statement than a question as the pieces of what happened began to fall into place. "Neil, be honest with me. Is thee in love with her? And I'm not talking about Margaret."

Neil bowed his head towards the ground and raised one hand to rub his temples. "I have a great admiration..."

"That is not what I asked thee," interrupted Alice. "Does thee love her?"

He suddenly looked up in frustration and yelled out, "Yes, Alice, I'm in love with her, but you already know that. You don't need me to tell you."

"I knew, but thee needed to confess the words out loud and finally acknowledge it."

"What good does it do. I am still, as everyone keeps reminding me, a married man and I cannot give her what she deserves."

"...and I don't believe David can either, but she must make her own decisions."

Not wanting to talk about in any farther, Neil turned to walk away, "I have to go. I left Maragret alone at the cabin."

"What is thee going to do about her? Be careful Neil, I fear it is money that she is after."

"I don't know, Alice. I don't love her anymore, but I still feel obligated to her. You best be going to Christy now. She's going to need someone to talk to." he hopped back onto his horse, wishing that it was him going to her, but he knew he had other things to attend to and he was probably one of the last people she wanted to see right now. He made a decision to ride out in the morning and talk to her if she would allow him to.

**T.B.C. This is the first time I have written in a long time. I hope you like it enough to want me to keep moving forward with the story.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Readers note: I'm changing the title to Heart and Home because after looking through the stories on here I realized that someone else had written a story called Coming Home and I didn't want to step on anyone's toes so just to let you know the what the reason for that was. **

**Chapter 2**

Christy watched from her window as Neil rode off towards his cabin. A small part of her wished he had come after her, but a bigger part was grateful he hadn't because she was clearly not ready to face him. She retreated back to her bed and buried her face in her pillow as fresh tears began to flow. The ring had been carefully placed on the bedside table. She heard a soft knock at her door and arose to answer it. Before opening the door she wiped the tears away and smoothed out her dress.

A voice called from the other side, "Christy, it is I. Please let me come in. I need to talk with thee."

"Tucking her hair behind her ear and giving her face a final wipe as if to hide the fact that she had been crying, she slowly opened the door and let Alice in. Falling into her arms she cried out, "Oh Miss Alice, I don't know what to do. No matter what I do someone will be hurt. The thought of hurting either of them...," she trailed off and the tears began to flow again like flood waters after a storm. Releasing Christy, Alice closed the door behind her and motioned for them to sit on the bed.

"There there my child. It will all work out according to God's plan, thee will see." She was silent for a brief few seconds before speaking again. Looking down at her hands she finally spoke, "At first I was certain that thee was going to wind up marrying David whether it was the right thing to do or not, but then I watched as your relationship with Neil changed and began to grow and deepen to a level that was more than just a simple physical attraction like the one thee has for David. I was not pleased with it at first because I could see the problems it was bound to eventually cause and it caused me great heartache to watch Neil so easily forget Margaret whenever he was around thee. You brought him the kind of joy that I was still struggling to find and I was jealous of that, but I have learned to accept it and find joy in you as well and I love thee as if you were my own daughter. Neil deserves to be happy and who am I to try and snub that from him. Bottom line Christy is that Margaret is ill and the tuberculosis will eventually run its course through her body. She came back here wanting money, but I also believe that she came back because deep down inside her she does not really want to die alone. The issue lies with the fact that Neil has moved on, but he's still struggling to forgive. I believe he loves thee deeply Christy."

"Miss Alice, I don't know what to do."

"Thee must make thy own choices Christy where matters of the heart are concerned. I cannot tell thee what to do."

"I though I was so certain I was suppose to marry David. He is everything that I should want in a husband. He is tall and handsome, intelligent, he has a servants heart, and he is a God fearing man who loves me a great deal and who I know would work hard to make me happy."

"but thee is not sure if thee loves him back the same way."

"Miss Alice, I just fear that no matter hard he tries, it wouldn't ever be enough to make me completely happy. The what if's would always creep their way into my mind and I'm not ready to leave Cutter Gap. I have grown to love these people and my work is not finished here yet."

"It sounds as if thee has already made up thy mind where David is concerned."

Christy stood and walked over to look out the doors that led to the balcony. She sighed, "It doesn't matter what I feel for Neil. He is a married man." She could feel the hot sting of her eyes watering again.

"Christy, suppose that Margaret was out of the equation and that she and Neil were not married."

Christy sharply turned around and then nervously looked down at her hands as she fiddled with them. It was awkward to talk about Neil with Alice knowing how she had initially felt about their relationship. She proceeded with caution, "Neil has always confused and baffled me. There has always been an air of mystery surrounding him. One minute he is questioning me with scrutiny and causing me to think about my moral convictions to the point where he makes my blood boil and bubble over." She rolled her eyes to the ceiling and missed the small smirk of a smile tugging at the corners of Alice's face. "Then other times," her facial features softened with an almost far away dreamy look, "he is the most caring and gentle man I know and I find myself sharing my deepest thoughts and dreams with him, something I have never done with David."

A small smile escaped her lips and her eyes lit up as she remembered the way his arms fit so comfortably around her while they were fishing at the river together, as if they belonged wrapped around. It felt so right. "Oh Miss Alice, there are times when I am with Neil when our eyes will catch and lock with each other and I can hardly breathe and my heart is beating so wildly that I am afraid he is going to see my chest move. It's as if he can see right into my soul, into the core being of who I am and can decipher what I'm thinking. He makes me feel so vulnerable, but at the same time it's comforting to know someone understands you at that level."

Alice let out a long slow sigh and then stood, moving towards Christy. Laying a hand on her shoulder she softly spoke, "That is a special thing to share with someone." She thought for a moment before proceeding, "Christy, I feel that thee might benefit from a trip home to see thy parents. It has been a long time since thee has seen them."

"I can't leave right now...the children...they need me," Christy protested.

Miss Alice held up her hand and waved her off, "The children will be fine until thee returns. I am not talking about a permanent departure, but I feel thee needs some space away from these mountains...and these two men to sort out thy feelings for Neil and David."

"I already I know I can't marry David. I will talk to him before I leave for Asheville, but I am more worried if Neil will understand my sudden departure from the cove."

"I believe he will, Christy, and I have a feeling that he will want to see thee before thee leaves. Now I believe that we have some supper to eat. I think thy conversation with David can wait till after we have eaten. I find that I always think better when I don't have the distraction of an empty stomach." She smiled at Christy and they walked down the stairs together. Somehow conversations with Miss Alice always made Christy feel better. She had a way with words and Christy valued her wisdom.

**TBC - Reviews always welcomed. I am a teacher and headed back to work after summer break tomorrow so updates might only be once a week, but I promise you I will finish the story and not abandon it, even if it takes a little longer. Thanks for reading all and thanks for the reviews so far.**


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